Here's What a Weekend of Non-Stop Eating in Vegas Looks Like

Welcome to Consumed, in which Matt Duckor devours the food world, documenting the people, places, and plates that keep him hungry.

(Credit: Matt Duckor)

It's been a few weeks since I left Las Vegas, that glimmering city surrounded by sand and shrouded in mystery, and I'm still processing it all. There were comically large cuts of wagyu beef withMichael Mina, a night in the kitchen with up-and-coming chefBobby Flay, the latest in mobile food and drink technology at theVegas Uncork'd Grand Tasting, and, as Vegas is all about excess, I used the rest of my time there getting even further in touch with my not-so-inner indulgent self.

First off, I stayed in the brand spanking new Nobu Hotel--yes, that Nobu--at Caesar's Palace. While I love a good club sandwich as much as the next guy (be it my boss Adam Rapoport or Jean Georges), I'd take Nobu's "bagel and lox" for room service any day. It's an ingenious mix of crispy sushi rice covered in "everything bagel mix," pastrami-spiced salmon, tofu creme, minced red onion and capers.

The first night in Vegas can be hard: you're not quite accustomed to the non-stop bleeps and bloops of slot machines or functioning on the perfume-laced air supply. So after I checked in, I left the Strip immediately for Le Thai, the 18 month-old hotspot that's one of the shining stars of Vegas's growing downtown dining scene. Curries, larb, wings (good God those wings), and copious Singha beers, all had al fresco, make you forget that you're in the middle of the desert.

Back on the Strip, celebrity chef spots are everywhere, and choosing one is tough. Pick at random, and you might end up feeling like you're at the Denver airport, dining on overcooked burgers and and rubbery hot dogs. Or, you could take my recommendation and go to Carnevino. The restaurant is Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich's temple to dry-aged beef, meat master Adam Perry Lang oversees sourcing, and it has a riserva beef program, a by-request-only selection of aged cuts. So yes, there was six-month dry-aged bone-in ribeye marbled with glorious amounts of fat. But it was the non-riserva "La Fiorentina" cut, the restaurant's "standard" porterhouse for two that's dry-aged for three months, that really blew me away.

By the end of my time in Vegas, I wasn't looking for mind-altering Thai food, game changing room service, or heroic cuts of beef. Instead, I wanted comfort, and I found it at Beijing Noodle No. 9. The place is clean and brightly lit, the service is attentive, and the soup dumplings, sauteed greens, salt and pepper shrimp made me feel like I was back in New York at Grand Sichuan. In a place that tries to be everything for everyone at all times, sometimes it's nice to feel at home.